Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Community Herne Bay, Kent
Clarence Road, Herne Bay, Kent - 01227 375095 - Parish Priest: Fr Mark White CP (mwhite8684@aol.com); Assistant Priest: Fr Patrick CP (743727); Deacons James Foley (366841) & Barry Walker (368685) - website: www.ourladyhernebay.co.uk
First sunday oF adVent (Year C) 28/29 NOVEMBER 2015
Entrance Antiphon To you, I lift up my soul, O my God. In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame. Journeying towards Christ’s coming This Sunday we begin our journey towards the celebration of Our Lord’s birth. Advent is a season of joyful anticipation and we should do what we can, no matter how hard the pressures are to see Christmas in purely materialistic terms, to prepare spiritually for the great Feast; so as to be more open to the wonderful blessings it brings. On the parish-community level, there will be an opportunity, for the first three Sundays of Advent, to gather at 4pm for a service of prayer and reflection; the fourth Sunday will be taken up by our Carol service. And why not try and attend one of our weekday 10am Masses if you are free and have the time – they are a great boost to our prayer lives. On an individual level the “Walk With Me” booklets offer short and simple reflections on the great themes of Advent. On 8 December we will join with Catholics all over the world in entering into the “Year of Mercy” which Pope Francis has called us to keep. He has asked for a special emphasis to be made on the “Corporal Works of Mercy”: feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, giving alms for the poor... We shall have more to say about this next week. But do try and make an effort this Advent to prepare for Christmas, the feast of God coming to us in lowliness and weakness, sharing in our own vulnerability and raising us up to work with Him for the coming of the Kingdom.